> The problem is that almost everyone would rather think than do.
I'd disagree. I think that the majority of people would rather work with something more concrete (doing) than abstract(thinking).
I'd disagree. I think that the majority of people would rather work with something more concrete (doing) than abstract(thinking).
But if you really listen to people, I've found that most can think pretty deeply about grand and overarching subjects. And it's people from all walks of life - auto mechanics, high school dropouts, civil servants, retirees, in addition to the engineers and executives and authors you'd expect. Look at how many people had opinions on the bailout, for example, or how many think they could do a better job than Ben Bernanke at steering the economy. Or look at the traffic to forums like Reddit, where people are invited to leave their comments about all sorts of stories. Most of them are wrong, but that's still an awful lot of thinking going on about pretty abstract subjects.
I'm in the same boat as the OP, and like you, I figured that everyone would rather just think, so I kind of discounted that as an option.
What he told me is that while a lot of people like to spout off opinions, few people are as passionately curious and have the capacity for sustained and analytical thought.
I'm not bragging, but my point is that for some people, thinking type work really is their skill. The jobs available can be harder to find.
I'm in the process of considering a return to school for a PhD in psychology, for example, and it's going to really throw a wrench in my life because I'm already 26 and married.
I never disputed that it's possible to make a living as a "thinker", only that it's realistic to do so without first proving your worth as a "doer". The people who end up in those thinking positions are the ones who manage to slog through the doing.
My point is that if you took out all the barriers to entry, walked up to someone, and said, "Hey, we want you to control the economy. Seriously. No, there are no strings attached. We want you for the job," I bet most of them would take it. The reason you don't see people actively trying for this job is because there are lots of hurdles in the way. After all, we want the people who do the thinking jobs to have proven themselves first, so we know that they're not just spouting off nonsense.